CITES CoP20 Confers Wildlife Protections

The recently concluded 20^th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES CoP20), held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, resulted in significant victories for wildlife protection. Dozens of species were added to either CITES Appendix I (prohibiting most international trade for commercial purposes) or II (regulating international trade to prevent further species decline), while most efforts to reduce species protections or weaken the convention were defeated.

All species that AWI worked to protect from trade were either added to Appendix II (Chilean rose-haired tarantula, Dorcas gazelle) or uplisted from Appendix II to Appendix I (two Ethiopian vipers, Ecuadorian marine and land iguanas, two African vultures). These species are impacted by the pet trade, overhunting, climate change, habitat loss, pollution, and/or use in traditional medicines.

Additionally, Appendix II listings were achieved for four frog species targeted for human consumption. Species impacted by the pet trade and other threats were added to Appendix II (striped hyena, Hoffman’s two-toed sloth, two species of Australian gecko) or uplisted to Appendix I (Home’s hinged-back tortoise, golden-bellied mangabey). Threats from the pet songbird trade landed six seed finches on either Appendix I or II. Several shark and ray species targeted for their fins and meat (including the oceanic whitetip shark, whale shark, and all manta rays) were uplisted to Appendix I, while the school shark and entire genera of both smooth-hound and gulper sharks were added to Appendix II.

At CoP20, AWI co-hosted special events focusing on the tarantula trade and the fish maw trade. AWI also presented Clark R. Bavin Wildlife Law Enforcement Awards to eight outstanding wildlife law enforcement officials and agencies. Look for more information on CITES CoP20 outcomes in the spring 2026 AWI Quarterly.

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